VOL 07 • NO 02 Tales from Darfur’s Heritage: An interview with Ibrahim Ishag Ibrahim My First 150 Days as UNAMID JSR - Direct Dialogue, The Only Way To Unamid Provides Protecti on Achievements and Challenges Resolve Inter-Communal Confl icts to Newly Displaced Persons In East Darfur in Sortony, North Darfur AFRICAN UNION - UNITED NATIONS HYBRID MISSION IN DARFUR (UNAMID) Vol. 7 • No. 2 IN THIS ISSUE Editor-in-Chief NEWS Carlos Araujo EDITOR-IN-CHIEF NOTE PAGE 8 DIDC Implementation Committee Editor PAGE 2 JSR Tours the Mission’s Sector I’M PLEASED to introduce the June 2016 I’m also quite pleased to introduce, in this Discusses Recommencement of the Locality- Musi Khumalo Headquarters Across Darfur issue of Voices of Darfur, which contains edition, the Photo Story which is a collec- level Dialogue Associate Editors news, features and interviews not only about tion of photographs showcasing patrols PAGE 4 DJSR-Protection Leads Integrated Ala Mayyahi unique aspects of life in Darfur but also conducted by the Mission’s Military and Po- Mission to Anka, North Darfur PAGE 9 Commemoration of International Day about UNAMID’s ongoing efforts to facili- lice components across the region in con- for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Staff Writers tate lasting peace in the region. formity with the Mission’s protection of PAGE 6 Handing over of Peace Centre in Abu Action Salah Mohammed In the interview, “My First 150 Days as UN- civilian’s mandate. Karinka, East Darfur Mohamad Mahady AMID JSR - Achievements and Challenges” Finally, in our cover feature, “Tales from PAGE 10 A Library of Peace in Darfur Mr. Uhomoibhi talks about achievements he Darfur’s Heritage”, voices of Darfur PAGE 7 No Child Soldiers– Protect Darfur has made and challenges faced during his presents an interview with a renowned Graphics & Design Campaign Launched in West Darfur Mutaz Ahmed fi rst four months as Head of UNAMID. Darfuri Writer, Ibrahim Ishaq Ibrahim, The article “Direct Dialogue, the Only Way where he speaks of his published nov- Photographers to Resolve inter-communal Confl ict in East els, his views on the literary production Hamid Abdulsalam Darfur” refl ects the Mission’s mediation ef- in Darfur and the role that literature can Mohamad Mahady forts with the local communities in the vil- play in bringing peace to Darfur. INTERVIEW PROTECTION MEDIATION lages and localities in East Darfur. As Voices of Darfur continues to evolve 12 18 22 Contributors In the article “UNAMID Provides Protec- as a news magazine, we welcome your Zurab Elzarov tion to Newly Displaced Persons in Sortony” feedback. To send comments by email, Martin Uhomoibhi’s UNAMID Provides Direct Dialogue, the we describe UNAMID support to thousands please put “Letters to the Editor / voices Translation fi rst 150 days as Protection to Newly only way to resolve Nabil Mohamed of displaced persons who fl ed their villages of Darfur” in the subject line and send Displaced Persons Rindala Eid and sought refuge near the Mission’s Team the email to: UNAMID JSR— inter-communal Eltahir Nourain Mohammed Site in Sortony, North Darfur. [email protected]. Achievements and in Sortony, North Alawad Alawad confl icts in East Ahmad Ibrahim Challenges Darfur Abdalla Abdulraheeem Carlos Araujo Darfur Adam War Chief Communications & Public Information Section facebook.com/UNAMID facebook.com/UNAMID.arabic ON THE COVER MISSION LEADERSHIP twitter.com/unamidnews gplus.to/UNAMID flickr.com/unamid-photo PUBLICATIONS UNIT Communications and Public Information Section (CPIS) - UNAMID Email: [email protected] Website: http://unamid.unmissions.org The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of Martin Ihoeghian Bintou Keita Jeremiah Nyamane Lieutenant General Priscilla Makotose UNAMID concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning Uhomoibhi (Nigeria) (Guinea) Kingsley Mamabolo Frank Mushyo Kamanzi (Zimbabwe) the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Renowned Darfuri Writer Ibrahim Ishaq Rakubat Aba Salih is broadcast on radio Al Joint Special Deputy Joint (South Africa) (Rwanda) Police Content in this publication may be freely quoted or Ibrahim, in Khartoum, Sudan. Mr. Ibrahim Salam 98:0 FM in Khartoum and 7.2MHz, 41 Representative/ Special Deputy Joint Special Force Commander Commissioner reprinted, provided credit is attributed to UNAMID. Representative- highlighted the Darfuri heritage in most of Meter Band SW in Darfr daily from 8:30 - 9:30 Joint Chief Mediation Representative- his novels . Photo by Mohammad Noureldin. and repeated from 14:00 - 15:00 Protection Political VOICES OF DARFUR • JANUARY 2016 1 NEWS On 6 May 2016, UNAMID’s Joint Special Repre- sentative (JSR), Martin Uhomoibhi, concluded a five-day visit to the Mission’s Sectors across Darfur. During his tour, Mr. Uhomoibhi met with local authorities, internally displaced persons, native administration leaders, refu- gees as well as UNAMID staff and members of the UN Country Team. In the picture, the JSR addresses South Sudanese refugees at Khor Omer camp near El Daein, East Darfur. Photo by Hamid Abdulsalam, UNAMID. ry armed movements joining the peace efforts to bring peace to Darfur. The following day, the JSR visited Nyala and met the state authorities. He then visited Kalma camp for the inter- nally displaced where he met with the residents and urged them to exercise re- straint in the wake of a recent shootout in the camp’s market by unidentified armed men and assure them of UN- AMID’s commitment to their protection. He also discussed with UNAMID Sector South leadership ways of augmenting the Mission’s protection efforts to meet the needs of the population we serve in South Darfur, particularly the displaced women and children who tend to bear the brunt of such attacks. Additionally, he listened to demands from the IDPs for additional patrolling and support to community policing projects in the camp. In El Daein, the final leg of the JSR’s visit to the sectors, he met with the Wali of East Darfur as well as native admin- istration leaders and urged them to work in mutual cooperation to resolve long- standing tribal conflicts in the state. He reiterated UNAMID’s readiness to do its utmost to support these reconcili- ation efforts within its capability. Mr. Uhomoibhi also visited the Khor Omer camp near El Daein where thousands of South Sudanese refugees have sought shelter on account of the past period of views on UNAMID’s mandate and his vide accurate and truthful reports re- instability which South Sudan had expe- JSR Tours the Mission’s Sector Headquarters efforts as Joint Chief Mediator in rela- flecting the reality on the ground. rienced. He held a popular conference tion to the Darfur peace process. The second leg of the JSR’s tour was attended by the South Sudanese refugees First the JSR visited Zalingei and to El Geneina. After a formal call on the and interacted extensively with their trib- Across Darfur met with the acting Wali (Governor) Acting Wali and state officials, Mr. Uho- al chieftains and the relief agencies op- AS PART OF his meetings with senior During his visit, Mr. Uhomoibhi held curity authorities) , internally displaced and state officials of Central Darfur moibhi and his delegation visited Ar- erating in the camp. Ambassador Uho- UNAMID officials, state authorities, and formal meetings, consultations, popu- persons (IDPs) refugees and their rep- and discussed with them the Mission’s damata camp for the displaced in West moibhi commended the efforts of East the local community, UNAMID’s Joint lar conferences and discussions with a resentatives, native administration and mandate and the impact of the ongoing Darfur and met with the camp’s residents Darfur State in hosting their South Su- Special Representative, Martin Uhomoibhi, broad spectrum of Darfuri entities, in- community leaders (nazirs, umdahs and fighting in Jebel Marra on the state. In in a popular conference. He shared with danese neighbors and observed that this visited Zalingei, Central Darfur, El Gene- cluding with key state authorities (Gov- chieftains) as well as UNAMID staff this connection, the JSR raised the issue Ardamata residents his recent mediation is one more reason that Darfur should ina, West Darfur; Nyala, South Darfur, El ernors of States, Government of Sudan and members of the UN Country Team of access restrictions and their negative efforts as Joint Chief Mediator and un- have peace in order to turn from a trou- Daein, East Darfur; between 2-6 May 2016. military and police officials and State se- in the sectors, in order to exchange impact on the Mission’s ability to pro- derlined the importance of non-signato- bled region into a safe resort. V 2 VOICES OF DARFUR VOICES OF DARFUR 3 NEWS On 24 January 2016, UNAMID’s Deputy Joint Special Representative-Protection, Bintou Keita, visited Anka and Umm Rai, in North Darfur. The mission aimed at ascertaining the protection and human- itarian needs of the community living there following attacks on their villages on 3 December 2015. Ms Keita interact- ed with members of the displaced pop- ulation who spoke about their concerns regarding the lack of food, shelter, water resources and medical facilities. Photo by Hamid Abdulsalam, UNAMID. In Anka Central, a conglomeration of 30 villages with 20,000 residents, 14 of which have reportedly been torched, the DJSR and her delega- tion met with some 600 community members, mostly women and chil- dren, many of whom highlighted the pressing need for humanitarian assis- tance, especially food, water, shelter and medical facilities. The team also observed that more than 80 per cent of the village had been burnt to ashes.